The present disclosure relates generally to utility plants that generate electric power. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for efficiently utilizing energy from such a utility plant.
The generation and transmission of electric energy from a utility plant is an inherently inefficient process. For example, in order to generate electricity from coal, coal is burned in a boiler to convert water to steam, which is then used to drive steam turbines. The steam turbines are coupled to generators that produce electricity, and the electricity is transmitted over electric power lines in this process. Further losses are incurred in converting the electricity to voltages suitable for transmission over long distances, transmitting the electricity over electric power lines over such distances, and then converting the electricity to voltages suitable for utilization by a consumer. Accordingly, typically, only about 30% of the energy value in the fuel consumed by a power plant actually is delivered to an end user.